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Wis to New Mexico any trip stops you recommend?

Guys and gals:

I am planning a southwest trip this summer... Never been to these states before. I am a part time photographer and love to shoot interesting places. Any ideas for a trip like this. It will be about 2 weeks duration. Getting ready to break in the butt for marathon rides on my new to me 1100RT right now! I have a GPS to help with navi so if you have waypoints or coordinates,thanks in advance!

I am planning a southwest trip this summer... Never been to these states before. I am a part time photographer and love to shoot interesting places. Any ideas for a trip like this. It will be about 2 weeks duration. Getting ready to break in the butt for marathon rides on my new to me 1100RT right now! I have a GPS to help with navi so if you have waypoints or coordinates,thanks in advance!

I see you are near Madison. Have you given any thought to heading south to the Springfield, Ill area and following historic Route 66 to New Mexico? There are many interesting sights along the way, and it is not too far from modern Interstates (I-55, I-44, and I-40) that you can pick up the pace from time to time if you need to make some miles rather than smelling the roses. There is a lot of interest in this Highway and several websites to let you know what to expct, what to see and do, etc.

Starting in Flagstaff
Leaving Flagstaff (flagstaff.az.us), head not along the beaten path to the Grand Canyon, some 73 miles (117 kilometers) north, but rather east, in search of less heralded jewels. Take Interstate 40 to Winslow (home to a famous corner, commemorated by a mural, a bronze statue, and an annual ‘«£Standin' on a Corner‘«ō festival)‘«Ųthen continue for 58 miles (93 kilometers) until you cross into Petrified Forest National Park (www.nps.gov/pefo). It's more of a looking park than a hiking or biking park, but the exquisite colors of the Painted Desert are captivating from the various viewpoints on the main park drive within a few miles of the Interstate. You'll want to drive deeper into the park to see the petroglyphs etched into Newspaper Rock or the eponymous petrified logs of Crystal Forest.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Continue east on I-40 to U.S. 191 and head north to Canyon de Chelly National Monument (www.nps.gov/cach).This U.S. Park Service installation is as rich in color and history as the surrounding Navajo reservation land is poor. Indigenous peoples have lived among these 1,000-foot (305-meter)-high, auburn-colored cliffs for nearly 5,000 years, leaving behind them their cave paintings, pottery, kivas, and permanent structures they appended to the fanciful rock formations that first drew them here.

Monument Valley
Stay on U.S. 191 north to 59, a Navajo Nation road that takes you northwest toward Kayenta, the gateway to Monument Valley. Make a left onto U.S. 160 and a right onto U.S. 163, then decide whether you're John Wayne, Butch and Sundance, or Thelma and Louise as you ride through the iconic mesas and buttes you've seen so many times on film. You can even spend the night staring at the awesome surroundings at The View, a new hotel that opened in December 2008 inside the Navajo Tribal Park. Owned and operated by the Towering House Clan of Navajos, the hotel features unobstructed views of Monument Valley's famed ‘«£mittens‘«ō from each of its 95 guest rooms.

Mexican Water
Cross into Utah on 163 north, then double back south into Arizona along U.S. 191 for 32 miles (51 kilometers) to Mexican Water. There you'll pick up U.S. 160 east, which takes you to the intersection of four states and the heart of this drive. You'll have to pay $3 per person to the Navajo Nation and wait behind countless other tourists for a clear moment when you can take your picture with a limb in each state, but how many times in life do you get to experience something like this?

Trail of the Ancients
From the moment you cross into Colorado until you reach the town of Cortez, 35 miles (56 kilometers) northeast, you'll overlap the Trail of the Ancients. This National Scenic Byway wends through territory where Puebloans lived for thousands of years before European settlement.

Mesa Verde National Park
The finest Puebloan cliff dwellings are preserved in Mesa Verde National Park (www.nps.gov/meve), ten miles (16 kilometers) east of Cortez off Route 160. This is a good place to get out and stretch your legs‘«Ųnot to mention your arms and your neck‘«Ųas you climb up ladders and crawl through tunnels on guided tours of the ancient cliff dwellings. More than 4,000 archaeological sites have been preserved, including hundreds of homes and villages that date back to the 12th century.

Cortez to Dolores
Double back west on 160 to Cortez and pick up Colorado 145 north toward Dolores. As you start to climb out of the high desert, you'll discover a whole new hue. The pumpkin-colored sandstone and russet cliffs give way to leafy aspens, evergreen conifers, and cobalt rivers streaming down the slopes of silvery alpine peaks. It's as if some great designer all of a sudden changed color palettes.

San Juan Skyway
The last 75 miles (121 kilometers) of this trip follow yet another National Scenic Byway: the San Juan Skyway. Paralleling the banks of the Dolores River, the road ascends through the imposing San Juan Mountains, the southernmost range in the Rockies. That's Mount Wilson on your left, just one of the 13 jagged summits that top 14,000 feet (4,267 meters). A century ago, this was silver and gold mining country; today, the folks who dig this area are largely skiers, hikers, and soft-adventurers.

Telluride
Route 145 dead-ends at the tiny ski resort town of Telluride (www.telluride.com), nestled in a box canyon at an elevation of 8,750 feet (2,667 meters). Just 12 blocks long and six blocks wide, Telluride is no place for driving. Rather, you're encouraged to ditch your vehicle at the free parking lot known as Carhenge and get around town on foot. Butch Cassidy got his start here, making off with $20,000 from the San Miguel Bank in 1889. Today, he'd find more than that draped around the necks of vacationing leisure-class shoppers. Yet Telluride retains a far more easygoing atmosphere than resorts like Aspen. For every four-star restaurant or boutique, there's a down-at-the-heels pizzeria or candy store. Even in the height of summer, wisps of snow crown the jagged mountain peaks that surround the town on three sides. It's possible to drive higher up the mountain to get a closer view, but after two days in the car, you'll probably prefer the ski gondola, Telluride's free public transportation system that operates 275 days a year.

Mountain Village
The glass-encased cab whisks you high up Telluride's north-facing slope, then drops down into the next canyon over. Here, an even broader panorama unfolds before you, ringed by dozens of pinnacles ranging from 11,000 to 13,000 feet (3,353 to 3,962 meters). Mountain Village, the somewhat sterile condo development at the base of the slopes, lacks the charm and the Victorian-era history of the town of Telluride. But the staggering views alone are worth driving two days for.

Those who have been are smiling knowingly. Those who have not are saying 'what the ****!'

I'm serious. Anything you can imagine (that actually exist) is displayed at this museum. They have an inexpensive hotel, and your entrance fee covers a return entrance the following day if you don't have time to see everything (you won't).

Thanks for all of the replies to my trip planning question! Now to decide on how to pack my camera gear!

Nikon D90
Nikon D40
Panasonic TZ5
Plus the lenses of the Nikons!

that is a huge pain... and let me tell you that even when bringing my DSLR + lenses, i wind up taking more pics with my trusty Canon G10 point/shoot, just because it's easier to access the camera from the saddle.

i've been using a LowePro Slingshot 200. When traveling cross-country (on-road), it usually sits in my saddlebag, taking up a LOT of room. if i'm worried about rough ground, i wear it as a pack, since standing up helps protect it from jarring hits.

the slingpack makes it easy to swing around from the back to remove a camera. Since you have three bodies, you will need a bigger one than the 200. the larger models also feature a pocket for a laptop computer, which you may also travel with.

LowePro also makes some good bags that can be strapped to the rear saddle. If you're a pavement-only rider, this could be a better option. Here is a good waterproof model...

oh, this stuff is *heavy* so be prepared to change your packing setup accordingly. if you've been reading my Always an Adventure articles, you'll know that i've been working hard to do more with less gear. if you're a camper, it ain't easy.

last, buy extra insurance for your camera. as you well know, these things are expensive as hell and i'd hate to find out that they weren't covered by your vehicle insurance, should you have a get-off and damage the equipment.

[QUOTE=Visian;66490 I wind up taking more pics with my trusty Canon G10 point/shoot, just because it's easier to access the camera from the saddle. ian[/QUOTE]

Ian, I often pull out my small Canon from my pocket for many shots. However I have often wondered (and have received conflicting information), just how large a quality image can be printed from the G10?

Perry, having owned a wide assortment of camera equipment, much of which I have packed on trips, the lens that I have used most often, is the 35mm 28-105mm lens (or 17-85 digital lens). Of course there is always the need for a different lens for some shots, but for the few times they are used as compared to their space and weight, I now tend to leave them at home and rely on my Canon 17-85mm lens.

I always tell my family my best pics on a trip were never taken as there was not a safe spot to pull over to take the photo.

Enjoy the good ride that you have planned.

Paul
Retired and riding my RTs, the '87 K100 & the '98 R1100 !
Forest City Motorrad Club #159Knights of the Roundel #333

No man's land:)

Roswell,N.Mex.. Nobody mentioned it. Just South is Artesia,N.Mex., home of our US Border Patrol Academy. A couple less travelled. Of course Roswell is quite a famed Alien locale, since 1947. I'm not sure camera's work in Roswell! My GSA seemed to float through town. Randy